Folding fruit-shipping rack.



PATENTED NOV. 14, 1905. J. W. MILLS @a E. E. IZBB..

FOLDING FRUIT SHIPPING RACK.

APPLICATION FILED JULYl. 1905.

i4 zo fprr saires PATENT JAMES WV. MILLS AND ELMER E. IZER, OF POMONA, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING FRUIT-SHIFFING RACK..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1905.

Application filed July 1, 1905. Serial No. 267,976.

To rtl/Z whom, if; may concern.-

Be it known that we, JAMES W. MILLS and ELMER E. IzuR, citizens of the United States, residing at Pomona, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Folding Fruit-Shipping Racks, of which the following is a specilication.

Our invention relates more particularly to folding' racks for supporting fruit-baskets during shipment in railway-cars; and the object of our invention is to provide a rack of light and durable construction -that can be folded up out of the way, so that the car can be used for shipping other commodities when not used to ship fruit. It is also convenient in loading and unloading the baskets.

Another object is to provide efficient ventilation for the fruit during shipment.

Heretofore it has been usual in the ship' ment of citrus fruits in cars to pack the fruit in rectangular boxes and then to place the i same one above the other in railwayecars. By

this means it has been found that the placing of the boxes so closely together in the cars has been extremely detrimental to the preservation of the fruit,A as the close proximity ofthe boxes to each other prevents a free circulation of air around them, thus causing premature decay. Recognizing the disadvantages of the above method of packing and shipment, it has lately become a custom to pack the fruit in cylindrical-shaped baskets with a cover and placing the same upon wooden racks constructed for that purpose in the ears. This method has been found to be extremelyinconvenient, as it necessitates a great deal of labor and expense in the construction of the racks and the trouble in removing the same at the end of thejourney for the removal of the fruit and so that the cars may be utilized for other shipments. To this end we have provided a folding rack that is both light and durable in construction and that can be folded up when not in use, thereby leaving the car free to be utilized for other shipments.

In the accompanying' drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section through a railway-car, showing our device in place therein. Fig. 2

Fig. 4: is a section of a frag- Fig.

5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the rack-supporting sockets.

In the drawings we have shown the rack as constructed of angle and T irons properly braced together, forming a plurality of fruitreceiving sections A B C, each section being adapted to receive one or more baskets or crates 11 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. I) of fruit. These sections are formed by the vertical supporting angle-irons 6 and T -irons 7, held together by horizontally-disposed angleirons 8, pivotally secured to the upright supports 6 and 7, as at 9, and hinged together in the center, as at I0. The upright supports are held in alinement by means of the steadying-bar 12, adapted to hold the ditl'erent sections in their proper places when the rack is loaded with fruit. These steadying-bars are supported in place by the brackets I3, secured to the angle-irons 6. Resting' upon the angleirons 8 and rigidly secured thereto are braces 16 and the fruit-supporting slats 17, adapted to support the baskets or crates of fruit when in place in the rack. In Fig. l we have shown a transverse vertical section of a box-car, the section A being in position for the reception of the baskets or fruit-crates, the central section B being shown in a partlyecollapsed position and section C being shown in a collapsed position, in which position it will remain when the car is not in use for the transportation of fruit. These different parts are supported by the rack-supporting sockets IAL, secured to the framework of the car and adapted to receive the downwardly-projecting lugs I5, rigidly secured to the uprights 6. In Fig. Llwe have shown a horizontal section of a fragmentary view of the racks in a collapsed position.

To equip a car with our improved rack, it will .be necessary to place the sockets lat in proper place on the frame of a car, these brackets being the only part of the rack necessary to be rigidly affixed to the frame of a car and the other portions thereof being easily rcmoved. By this arrangement a rack can be put into its collapsed position out of the way, so that the car can be used for other purposes than the shipment of fruit, or the racks can be removed altogether from the car, leaving only on the car the supporting-sockets.

The socket la (shown in Fig. 5) has an inwardly-inclined bearing-surface, the purpose of which is to take up any play which may exist in any of the connecting parts between the sockets on different sides of the car.

IOO

A carvproperly equipped with our fruitshipping racks always holds the fruit from being crushed and at the same time affords ample means to ventilate the Jfruit and at the same time provides means whereby the entire space in the car may be utilized for shippingl fruit.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rack for shipping fruit comprising a plurality of vertical standards; a plurality of horizontal supporting-bars pivotally connected thereto, the supporting-bars of one standard being pivotally connected to the supporting-bars o't' an opposing standard; and means to secure said rack in a car.

2. The collapsible rack for placement in a fruit-shipping car comprising in combination the upright angle-irons 6 and 7, angle-irons 8 pivotally secured thereto and pivotally secured in the center; fruit-supporting slats rigidly secured to the angle-irons 8; and means to detachably secure the same to the box of a car.

8. A rack for shipping fruit comprising a plurality ot' vertical standards; a plurality of horizontal supporting-bars pivotally connected thereto, said supporting-bars being centrally and pivotally united by upwardly-closing hinges; and means to secure said rack in a car.

4. The herein-described means to ship fruit in a car comprising upright supports 6 and 7 having' pivotally secured thereto Slat-supportingirons 8; Slat-supporting irons 8 pivotally secured to the upright supports and having secured thereto the fruit-supporting slats 17 and braces 16 and the steadying-bar 12 adapt' ed to be supported by the brackets 13 riveted to the upright supports 6.

5. A rack for shipping' fruit comprising a plurality of vertical standards; a plurality of horizontal supporting-bars pivotally connected to said standards, said supporting-bars being centrally and pivotally united by hinges which will prevent said bars Jfrom turning downwardly and will permit them to turn upwardly at their point of engagement; and means to secure said rack in a car; in combination with a car having rack-securing means alXed thereto. Y

In witness that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto subscribed our names this 22d day of June, 1905.

JAMES WV. MILLS. ELMER E. IZER. W'itnesses:

L. W. PIERCE, J. C. STAFFORD. 

